


Book Commentary: Break the Surface

by mlmcg12



Series: Book Blog Transcripts [2]
Category: Watching Alice
Genre: Cross-Posted on WordPress, F/M, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:29:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28945932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mlmcg12/pseuds/mlmcg12
Relationships: Tom Sinclair/Alice Brown
Series: Book Blog Transcripts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2123052





	1. From Tom Sinclair to the Reader / Dear Reader

  * Right off the bat, the loose ARG elements are introduced, where the main character of Tom breaks the fourth wall introduces the whole thing as his journal of the months leading up to his girlfriend’s disappearance. This is followed up by the actual authors… doing basically the same thing. (The actual authors’ letter is really pushing the “true story” bit, isn’t it?)
  * At first glance, Alice seems to have the most average physical description, and what we first get from Tom about his relationship with her sounds like the most cliche romance in YA novels.
  * And then when Tom starts introducing himself, he makes himself sound like a total edgelord.
  * His desperation to reach out to absolutely anyone to find Alice is questionable at first glance, because, you know, the switch between cheesy boyfriend to edgelord to desperate boyfriend goes so quickly in like 3-4 paragraphs.
  * Again, I’m saying the ARG elements are kinda loose because it’s been like 15 years since the books were written, the website and videos and email account associated with the ARG elements are probably long shut down, and even if people were to submit “leads” to the website, they likely wouldn’t be “followed” because the series ended up being four books long with what looks like a fully-formed plotline.




	2. Entries Dated 9/15

  * So now for Tom’s _actual_ journal.
  * “God, I haven’t had a real thought or said anything real in so long.” What… what does that even mean?
  * OK, who’s Lily? And why is she important?
  * “If I were a twelve-year-old girl and had some flowers that needed pressing between these pages, then this would be a diary. But men don’t keep diaries. Men have _journals_.” Sexist much?
  * And Tom’s already calling himself a screwed-up jackass. I can’t tell if depression-related self-deprecation or just being an edgelord this early in the game.
  * No, but really? What’s with the smart school?
  * New Background Info: Tom’s from Vermont.
  * Why does Tom not want to be Thomas J. anymore?
  * Seriously, who’s Lily? And what happened between her and Tom for Tom to get psych help?
  * So, Tom’s dad is the one who pulled strings to get him into the smart school. But, again… Why that school in particular?
  * Who’s Bill Rogash and why is Tom trying to avoid him?
  * Sandy Metzger is going to be the “annoyingly peppy documentary filmmaker.” Why am I getting weird stereotype vibes already?
  * And here’s the first chronological introduction to Alice, with Sandy annoying the hell out of her, too…
  * So, we have an official _full date_. The book was published in 2004 but takes place in 2003.
  * Only briefly mentioned so far, and Carter Roy already sounds like a massive asshole.
  * Seriously, Sandy, go away. Get your bad stereotype-ass out of there.
  * Weird save, Alice. Weird but effective, I guess?
  * Tom. Dude. How are you falling for Alice already? You’ve only vaguely met her two minutes ago.




	3. Entries Dated 9/16

  * Oh, fun. A shit father and an absent mother. What a lovely home life.
  * The fact that Tom’s actually asking to find a new therapist now that they’ve moved is a Good Step, but I honestly can’t tell if the dad’s refusing because they Actually Are Too Broke or if he’s just being an awful parent.
  * Ah, yes, the young teacher fresh out of college who’s trying too hard to be relatable to kids barely younger than him.
  * Dammit, Tom, stop preparing yourself to hate all your classmates just to hate them. You’re just being edgy for the sake of being edgy, and that’s stupid. Listen to yourself from earlier in the morning when you thought that getting a new therapist would actually be good for you.
  * So, there are two unnamed “science hippies.” What the hell does “science hippies” even mean?
  * The two goth girls don’t have names, but I’ll add a “yet” to that, since Tom did spend so much time giving physical details about them.
  * Really, Tom, do you have to pair off random kids based on stupid shit like they’re average teens with acne?
  * The only name you’ve paid attention to is Shaquina? And the fact that you aren’t able to pair her off with anyone based on random traits?
  * OK, yeah, I will kinda agree with Tom about hating Carter, since Carter’s being set up as the spoiled rich popular pseudo-intellectual douchey bully. And of course Carter’s got Jason the Lackey.
  * No, but why keep avoiding Alice?
  * Ugh… I’m really struggling to get through this. I loved the first three books in this series when I found them the summer before I started high school, but the library never had the fourth book checked in whenever I went to go look for it (partially that was my fault for not putting it on hold), so I ended up forgetting the whole thing until recently. I’m kinda wishing I would still not remember them, since these are books I kinda overhyped in my head mostly based on good memories from when I first started them.



**Author's Note:**

> See also https://mmcgui12sbookblog.home.blog/


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